May 11, 2013

The Independent Investigations Office has been called in to probe a police shooting at the Scott Road SkyTrain station.
An officer shot a man who was wielding a knife and threatening people. The suspect was rushed to hospital. We have no information on his condition, but I will update you when I learn more.... Read More …

Charlene Minifie, a Burnaby teacher-on-call, has asked me to post an email she wrote last month to Education Minister Don McRae. It’s an appeal for fairness on behalf of teachers-on-call (TOCs) trying to break into the profession. (I first wrote about this issue in 2009 in a post called Hard times for teachers-on-call. The response was exceptional, with thousands of hits and hundreds of comments spread over months … all of which were ... Read More …

All may not be what it appears when more than 150,000 people with South Asian roots flood the streets of Metro Vancouver for springtime’s annual Vaisakhi parade – creating a sea of mobile altars, women in saris and men in orange turbans.
British Columbia’s main Vaisakhi parade, reputed to be the largest outside India, seems to outsiders and the media to be one gigantic religious festival.
But more than a few South Asian-Canadians maintain that’s ... Read More …

Vancouver-False Creek NDP candidate Matt Toner says B.C. needs to look beyond its history as a resource-based province and help develop its creative industries, like Vancouver’s growing video game industry. However, Liberal candidate Sam Sullivan says resource extraction is the foundation of the province’s economy and will remain important for the foreseeable future
The BC Liberals have been advocating for the expansion of Liquefied Natural Gas in BC, which critics argue would increase gas emissions... Read More …

B.C. Lions draft pick Kirby Fabien at New York Giants rookie mini-camp at Timex Performance Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
The New York Giants are giants on social media, reflecting the personality of irascible, approachable Pat Hanlon, the team’s vice-president of communications. While many professional teams work hard at being as bland and inaccessible as possible, the Giants unabashedly use social media to promote and cheer for their team, engage their critics and reach out ... Read More …

Friday was shopping day for my garden tour group. We started the day by heading into the beautiful seaside town of Positano with its magnificent cliff-hanging houses and gorgeous beach front.
Like many countries, Italy is in an economy crisis. I am told 35 per cent of those unemployed are under 25.
There are no signs of panic but there is an urgency in the air to sell and keep the flow of cash flowing, ... Read More …

No one is cooperating with police after a man at a back yard barbeque was shot in the neck Friday night.
The victim at the house in the 700 block of Delestre Ave. was transported to hospital.
Coquitlam RCMP say Staff Sgt. Mark McCutcheon told my colleague Mike Hager that the victim is 30 and “well-known to police.”
He was shot about 7 p.m. Several others were present but not forthcoming with investigator. In fact, ... Read More …